Career Framework for Government Geographers

Guidance

Government Geography Profession - Career Framework

Defining the roles of geographers in government.

From: Government Geography Profession Published 23 June 2020 Last updated 24 September 2025
— See all updates Get emails about this page Print this page The Government Geography Profession welcomes members from the Civil Service and the wider public sector (including local government). The Government Geography Profession (GGP) has a number of specific job roles for members whose primary profession is the GGP as well as two broad job families for members whose secondary profession is the GGP.

GGP Professional roles – Geographic Analysts, Geospatial Information Technicians, Geographic Advisors and Geographic Technologists; for members who have geography as their primary profession.

Geographic Analysts

Geographic Analysts work with geospatial and georeferenced data to generate insight and support decision making. They are able to integrate geographic data within their analytical workflows and apply different specialist techniques to account for the geographic dimensions of the data. They communicate analysis effectively, including using cartography and geovisualisation to present intelligence from complex geographic datasets.

Geographic Advisors

Geographic Advisors use specialist geographic knowledge and techniques to contextualise and support decision making and the development, delivery, and evaluation of policies, or to develop and promote policies related to geographic understanding or information. They are experts in understanding and analysing environmental and/or human processes and interactions in places and at scale and use their knowledge to provide advice and evaluate evidence in support of government challenges. Geographic advisors are adept at working in multi-disciplinary settings and coordinating the activities of these different professions to solve business and policy challenges that benefit from geographical insight.

Geospatial Information Specialists

Geospatial Information Specialists collect, collate, manage and maintain geospatial data. They understand techniques for primary data collection used in surveying, geomatics and remote sensing, as well as methods for linking administrative data by geographic references. They have experience working with a range of geospatial data sources and understand their strengths and weaknesses when applied to work in Government. They can represent and manage geographic information within spatial data infrastructures, applying relevant data standards and making informed assessments on data quality. They are able to employ different geospatial technology platforms for managing geospatial data and make them accessible to others, including building capability in their use.

Geographic Technologists

Geographic Technologists support and enhance geospatial analysis and functions through the provision of fit-for-purpose and up-to-date geospatial technology services and technical infrastructure, ensuring that geospatial users can find, use and unlock the potential and of available geospatial data. They understand IT systems as a whole and specifically the geospatial aspects. They understand the underlying business processes and system structures including: data sets and information flows, technical frameworks, solution architecture and product technologies. They provide geospatial systems ensuring that they work efficiently, supporting all users through the maintenance and development of platforms, and/or applications. They keep abreast of new geospatial technology in the context of wider IT advancements and can relate current developments in providing IT system solutions to improve geospatial solutions.

Multi-Disciplinary Geographers

The Government Geography Profession works closely with the other professions in the Analysis Function (Government Economic Service, Government Statistical Service, Government Social Research Profession, Government Actuary’s Department or Government Operational Research Service), Government Science and Engineering and the Digital, Data and Technology profession. The Government Geography Profession recognises this expertise in the Multi-Disciplinary membership category and welcomes all colleagues with geo training or experience who bring this expertise to bear in their primary professions roles and would benefit from the support that being a member of GGP alongside their primary profession would bring.

Applied Geographic Practitioner

The Profession also recognises the deep expertise and benefit of colleagues with a geo background whose primary profession is in policy, delivery or one of the other non-technical professions. The Government Geography Profession recognises this expertise in the Applied Geographic Expertise membership category and welcomes all colleagues with geo training or experience who bring this expertise to bear in their primary professions roles and would benefit from the support that being a member of GGP alongside their primary profession would bring.

If you feel like your role as a geographer in the public sector is not described in the above descriptions get in touch with us at communications@geography.gov.uk.

Updates to this page

Published 23 June 2020 Last updated 24 September 2025 show all updates
1.
24 September 2025

Wording changed to align with join a profession campaign with use of primary and secondary profession

Shortened descriptions of Geographic Analysts, Geospatial Information Technicians and Geographic Advisors job roles

Addition of new job role and description ‘Geographic Technologist’
2.
23 June 2020

First published.

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